ECB Bancorp (NASDAQ:ECBK) & Raiffeisen Bank International (OTCMKTS:RAIFY) Head-To-Head Analysis

Raiffeisen Bank International (OTCMKTS:RAIFY) and ECB Bancorp (NASDAQ:ECBK) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, profitability, institutional ownership, risk and valuation.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

30.3% of ECB Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 10.4% of ECB Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

Raiffeisen Bank International has a beta of 1.31, meaning that its stock price is 31% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ECB Bancorp has a beta of 0.44, meaning that its stock price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Raiffeisen Bank International and ECB Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Raiffeisen Bank International	0	0	0	1	4.00
ECB Bancorp	0	0	0	1	4.00

Profitability

This table compares Raiffeisen Bank International and ECB Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Raiffeisen Bank International	19.31%	10.94%	1.16%
ECB Bancorp	13.19%	6.55%	0.70%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Raiffeisen Bank International and ECB Bancorp”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Raiffeisen Bank International	$14.76 billion	1.42	$1.55 billion	$2.10	7.59
ECB Bancorp	$38.81 million	4.81	$7.77 million	$1.37	15.61

Raiffeisen Bank International has higher revenue and earnings than ECB Bancorp. Raiffeisen Bank International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than ECB Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Raiffeisen Bank International beats ECB Bancorp on 7 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Raiffeisen Bank International

Raiffeisen Bank International AG, together with its subsidiaries, offers banking services to corporate, private customers, and institutional customers. The company offers cash management, cross border accounts, electronic banking, payments solutions, sustainable and subsidized financing, leveraged and acquisition financing, project and structured financing, real estate financing, leasing, factoring, trade and export financing, investment banking, investing, hedging, and investor services to its institutional clients and corporate customers in agri food and beverage, automotive, construction and building materials, food and beverage, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, packaging, real estate, retail, technology, telecom, and utilities industries. It also provides retail and private banking services, including deposits, loans, wealth management, and advisory services to retail customers and small and medium-sized enterprises. In addition, the company offers clearing, reporting, settlement, guarantees, letters of credit, fund administration, acceptances, brokerage, asset management, and custody services; and investment banking services, including asset based finance, fund finance and alternatives investments, loan syndication, mergers and acquisitions advisory, and debt and equity capital markets services. It operates through a network of business outlets in Central, Southeastern, and Eastern Europe, as well as Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Raiffeisen Bank International AG was founded in 1886 and is based in Vienna, Austria.

About ECB Bancorp

ECB Bancorp, Inc. operating as a holding company for Everett Co-operative Bank that provides various banking products and services. The company accepts various deposit products, including certificate of deposit accounts, IRAs, money market accounts, savings accounts, demand deposit accounts, and interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing checking accounts. It also offers one- to four-family residential real estate, commercial real estate and multifamily real estate, construction and land, commercial, and consumer loans, as well as home equity loans and lines of credit. In addition, the company invests in securities, consisting primarily of U.S. government and federal agency obligations, mortgage-backed securities, and corporate bonds. ECB Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1890 and is based in Everett, Massachusetts.